Noda and Putin talk energy in first phone call

In the first phone call between the two leaders since Noda became prime minister, Putin said Russia could cooperate with Japan by supplying electricity and liquefied natural gas (LNG), for which demand has increased following the Great East Japan Earthquake.

He told Noda, "Trade and investment between the two nations have become more active."

Russia is seeking to increase exports of petroleum and LNG and wants cooperation from Japanese companies to develop resources in the Russian Far East, including Sakhalin.

During the conversation, Noda appeared to make a veiled reference to resolving the running sore of the territorial dispute over the Northern Territories off Hokkaido, which are controlled by Russia but claimed by Japan.

"I want to cooperate with you in resolving major issues," Noda was quoted as saying.

In late September, Putin indicated he would run in the presidential election next spring, a race he is expected to win easily.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who remains in touch with Putin, said the Russian prime minister was shifting his emphasis toward Asia because economic development in western Russia is on track.

"Next year, Russia will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit meeting in Vladivostok, facing the Sea of Japan," Mori said. "(Putin) believes that cooperation from Japan will be indispensable for the economic development of the Russian Far East. He is not expecting cooperation from China, which has inferior technology."

Mori said: "If Russia lays a pipeline to the coast facing the Sea of Japan, a supply route to Japan and other parts of Asia would be created. I told him, 'That is the only way to become an energy power.'"

More AJW

Related Articles

The Japanese government sharply criticized a former prime minister on March 11 for his visit to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, saying his action is at odds with Japan's stance on the Ukraine situation and calling him "grossly imprudent."

SEOUL--Tokyo and Seoul were on the verge of settling the wartime “comfort women” issue, but all progress was erased with Japan’s 2012 Lower House election, according to former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s memoirs.

Japanese air force jets are scrambling at a record pace to counter Chinese fighters intruding into its air space along its southern flank and Russian bombers and spy planes probing its northern defenses, the Defense Ministry said on Jan. 20.

HUAIROU, China--Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Asia-Pacific leaders on Nov. 11 to strengthen trade ties at a summit Beijing is using to boost its role as a regional power with a flurry of trade and finance pacts.